As part of its role in supporting the practice, the SParkies patient experience group is working with the team to highlight a number of important health issues over the year.
The first topic is loneliness and its impact on health and wellbeing. Below are some ways the practice and other organisations are working to support local people who are lonely or isolated.
Social prescriptions
Nicole, our healthcare assistant can help put you in touch with local groups to help get you out and about and involved with activities, or just link you up with people you can talk to. These are our ‘social prescriptions’.
With your consent, we can refer you to the care coordinators who help link up health and community services for patients across the local area, as well as to organisations such as Click Nottingham (0115 978 7846), which aims to reduce loneliness and social isolation, and improve social connections, have communities that are more connected, caring, and supportive and where individuals enable each other and take responsibility of their own health and wellbeing.
This support is available for patients of any age. Ask for an appointment at reception. You can also speak to any of our other clinical staff if you need help with loneliness.
Over 75’s pack
We include lots of information in our over 75’s pack to help our older patients stay healthy and well, including information from Age UK, on The Silver Line, the Carers Support Service, the Nottingham City Signposting service, and Click Nottingham.
The Silver Line
The Silver Line – the only free, 24-hour, national helpline for lonely and isolated older people open all year round – has revealed that December was the busiest in the charity’s 4-year history.
That month, the helpline received 47,318 calls – a rise of 10% on the previous year – with the majority of these received between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
If you know someone who might benefit from the support of the Silver Line, or may like to volunteer for the charity, click here for more information.
The helpline number is 0800 4 70 80 90.
Age UK
Age UK Nottingham and Nottinghamshire offers a number of ways for people to get support.
Whether it’s through their befriending service or day care centre, information and advice or just being somewhere to turn when things get too tough to cope with on your own, Age UK Nottingham and Nottinghamshire provides crucial companionship, advice and support to thousands of people every year.
Find out more on the website, call 0115 844 0011 or email info@ageuknotts.org.uk
Click Nottingham
Click Nottingham (0115 978 7846), connects people to each other and helps friendships to grow, health to improve and hearts feel happier. Their members do things like volunteering, helping each other out and showing kindness.
People join Click Nottingham for a number of reasons, such as making new friends, getting more involved in their local community, they are feeling or at risk of being lonely and/or socially isolated, they are struggling with their physical or mental health and or using the health and social care services on a regular basis, they are looking for a volunteer opportunity or be a supportive helper/ friend in the Click community. Members complete an assessment that sets out a brief plan to help them achieve their goals.
Our next topics will be Support for Carers and Dementia. If you’d like to join the SParkies please fill out a form on reception, or email us at ncccg.c84682@nhs.net